Concrete-block machine.



PATENTED JAN; 9, 1906.

J. A. BLAKE & J. KBNRIGH. CONCRETE BLOCK MAQHINB.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1

WITNESSES:

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

IV V E N 70/? 5 Jaw/717mm ATTORNEYS No. 809,901. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.J A BLAKE & J KBNRIGH CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 3,1905.

s SHEETSSHEET 2.

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ATTORNEYS No. 809,901. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

J. A. BLAKE (Kn-J. KENRICH.

CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: I m/vE/vgms I ormfl. LRKE .Tg Y KENmcH ATTORNEYS rnvrrnnSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONCRETE-BLOCK MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1.906.

Application filed April 3,1905. Serial No. 253,394.

To all w/wm, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J OIIN ARTHUR BLAKE and JAY KENRICH, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of l/Volcott, in the county of IVhiteand State of Indiana, have made certain new and useful Improvements inConcrete-Block Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in machines for use in making concretebuildingblocks; and the invention consists in certain novelconstructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine embodying ourinvention. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the mold box taken fromthe inner side thereof, the inner side section and the end sectionsbeing opened. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a machine, partly insection; and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the box, the sides and endsbe ing open. Fig. 5 is a detail top plan View, partly in section,showing one of the moldboxes and the latch for securing the same inpressing position. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom of themold-box. Fig. 7 is a detail top plan view of a portion of the bottom ofthe mold-box, the platen being removed; and Fig. 8 is a detail side viewof one of the dogs used for supporting the platen after the pressingoperation.

In carrying out our invention we employ a revolving carrier for a seriesof mold-boxes, such carrier being mounted on a base A and comprising anupright shaft B, top beams B on said shaft B, and strut-braces B supporting the top beams B, roller-bearin s C being provided between the baseI) of the shaft B and a bed-plate a on the base-beams A, and a tie rod Dextending through the plate a and thence through the shaft Bin order tohold the shaft firmly in connection with the base or support, as will beunderstood from Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The main frame has its base-beams A extended at one end at A beyond thepath of the revolving moldboxes, and on this extension A is mounted anupright E, which extends upwardly, as shown, nearly to the top of themold-boxes F, and is provided at its upper end with a locking-bar E, bywhich the moldboxes are secured in position for the action of theprcsser-heads, presently described. As shown, the locking-bar E ispivoted at e to the struts G, and is notched in its free edge to engagewith a pin on the outer sideof the mold-box, as best shown in Figs. 3and 5 of the drawings. A strut-beam G is secured at its lower end to oneof the basebeams A and at its upper end to the upright E, and isprovided between its ends with boxes G and G, forming guides for thecarrying-bars H and I of the presser-heads H and I, the former operatingfrom above and the latter operating from belowinto the mold boxes forthe purpose of pressing the concrete in the mold-boxes, as will beunderstood from Fig. 3 of the drawings. I also provide. one of thebase-beams A with boxes h and 7L2, forming guides for the lower ends ofthe bars H and I, so the latter are guided accurately into and out ofthe mold-box. in the operation of the invention. As shown, the carrying-bar H for the presser-head I-I extends on a straight line throughoutits length, while the carrier I is provided at its upper end with aforwardly-projecting portion I to support the presser-head I drectlyabove the moldbox. To operate the presser-heads, we provide a rockingdisk J, having a shaft J, to which the handle-lever J is secured, andthis rocker J is connected by links it and i with the carrying-bars oftheir respective presserheads, so that as the rocker J is operated thepresser-heads will be moved reciprocally and operated into and out ofpressing position. As shown, the top beams B are metal bars divergingfrom a central block K at the top of the shaft B to a point near theirouter ends and having such outer ends 7) extending outwardly along theouter sides of the moldboxes F and secured to thebase-frames of the saidmold-boxes, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

lhe mold-boxes have the open bottom frames F, the inner side sections F,the outer side sections F and the end section F The sections F and F arehinged at f at their lower edges, so they may turn outwardly, as shownin Fig. 4, and these sections are provided on their inner sides with thelongitudinal inwardly-projecting rounded ribs 1, which form thelongitudinal channels in the sides of the concrete block when the latteris completed. The end sections F are also provided on their inner sideswith the inwardly-projecting ribs 1., and these end sections F- arehinged at one edge f" to the outer section F of the moldbox and areprovided with locking devices F for securing the outer side section F,such locking devices comprising pivoted bars having on their outer sidesnear their swinging ends projections f which interlock with projectionsf on the outer side section for securing the latter when the mold-box isclosed. By the described construction the mold-box may be opened todischarge a pressed block and then closed and secured in conditiontoreceive the loose concrete for forming another block. The side sectionsF and F are provided with openings 2 and 3, in which operate thetransverse core-blocks K, which are preferably round in cross-sectionand are of such length as to extend when applied to the box entirelyacross the same, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. These core-blocks Kare connected at their inner ends by a cross-bar K, to which isconnected a sliderod K passing through a guide L in a guidebar L, and alever M pivots at M between its ends and connects at M by a slidingconnection with the slide-bar K so it may be operated to throw thecoreblocks into the advanced position shown in Fig. 1 or to retract thesaid blocks so they will clear the mold-box when it is desired to openthe latter and remove the pressed block. As shown in Fig. 4, the innerside section F has a limited opening movement, being stopped by a bar Nprojecting from one of the top beams, and the core-blocks aresufficiently loose in the openings 3 to permit the section F to adjustto the position shown in Fig. 4 when it is desired to remove the pressedblock.

After the block has been pressed the coreblocks may be drawn out of thebox by means of the lever M, and the locking-bars F may be adjusted torelease the outside end doors or sections, and the end doors may beopened, which will cause the inside door or section to tilt away fromthe press block. The outside section may now be turned down when theblock is free and can be removed from the machine. To close the mold,the empty pallet or platen 0 should be placed in the bottom of the mold.The latter has a metal plate 0, which will move upward as the lowerpress-head H rises. This will cause the pallet O to move upwardly pastsmall clutches P, which will hold it until the pressed block is removed,and the doors or sections may be closed and the coreblocks adjusted tothe position shown in Fig. 1, and the mold-box is ready for refilling. v

Each press-box contains four dogs P, one at each corner, and the plate 0is a loose plate which remains in the base of the press box and isprovided with openings in which the points of the dogs P operate, aswill be understood from Fig. 6. When the lower press-head comes incontact with the loose plate 0, it elevates the latter, and also thepallet or platen O, the corners 0 raising the dogs P. When the pressingoperation has been completed, the dogs, the plate 0, and the pallet Oassume the position indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 6, the springs P onthe under sides of the dogs pressing against the corners O and forcingthe ratcheted surface P into engagement with a corresponding surface onthe under side of the pallet O and holding the pallet and dogs inposition. When the lower press-head is lowered, the loose plate 0 willfall to its original position, as indicated in full lines, Fig. 6, andwhen the pallet O is removed with the press-block the dogs P will fallto their initial positions, as shown in full lines, Fig. 6, and an emptypallet or platen 0 may be placed in position when the press-box is readyfor another char e of concrete. Any suitable. design of top. ace may besecured by changing the top presser-head I, the latter being preferablyremovable, as indicated in Fig. 3, so that different designs may beprovided.

In operation after the block has been pressed in the position shown inFig. 3, the lock E may be released and the revolving carrier turned tobring another mold-box into position between the press-heads, and thepressed block may be removed after the box has been adjusted clear ofthe pressheads, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 3 of thedrawings.

Having thus described our invention,wl1at we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine for pressing concrete blocks, comprising a base having itsbeams extended at one end, an upright mounted on such extension, astrut-bar between said upright and the base and provided with box-loopsforming guides for the presser-bars, loops on the base in line withthose on the strut-bar, the presser-heads operating one above the otherand having their carrier-bars movable longitudinally in the alined loopsof the base and strut-bar, a rocker between said carrier-bars, linksconnecting said rocker with the carrier bars, a handle for operating therocker, a revolving carrier comprising a shaft having a base portion,top beams, a central block from which said top beams diverge, themoldboxes carried by said top beams and comprising the base-frames, theinner and outer sections hinged at their lower edges and hav-' ingopenings for the core-blocks, the end sections hinged to the sidesections, lock devices for holding the box closed, the boxes beingmovable successively by the turning of the carrier into register withthe press-heads, the core blocks, the slide bars connected with saidblocks, means for operating the blocks, a plate on the base,ball-bearings between said plate and the base of the carrier-shaft and atierod holding said shaft to the base-plate, gubgtantially as and forthe purposes set ort 2. In a machine substantially as described thecombination with a revolving carrier having a series of mold-boxes andupper and lower press-heads between which the moldboxes may besuccessively resented by the revolution of the carrier, 0 means foroperating the opposite ress -heads simultaneously and reciprocalywhereby the object may be pressed Without being moved out of its planeof movement, core-blocks movable transversely through their respectivemoldboxes and means in connectionwith the revolving carrier foroperating their respective core-blocks, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a main frame and series of mold-boxes havinghinged sides and ends, a carrier revolving on the main frame andsupporting the series of mold-boxes, u per and lower press-heads betweenwhich tl fe mold-boxes may be successively presented core -blocksmovable through the hinged sides of their respective boxes and means foroperating the press-heads reciprocally, substantially as set forth,

4. The combination with pressing devices and a revolving carrier havinga circular series of mold-boxes, of core-blocks movable transverselythrough their respective moldboxes and individual operatingdevices forthe several core-blocks, such devices and coreblocks being movable withtheir respective mold-boxes, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the press-box and its movable bottom plate, ofthe presshead arranged to operate said bottom plate, a pallet or platenarranged to be lifted by the bottom plate and means for supporting suchpallet or platen when raised, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination in an apparatus, substantially as described, ofpressing devices, a revolving carrier having a series of moldboxesarranged to be presented successively to the pressing devices,core-blocks movable transversely across their respective mold- 5 boxesand means supported bythe carrier for operating their respectivecore-blocks, substantial-1y as set forth.

7. In an apparatus substantially as described, a press-box having amovable bottom plate arranged for operation by the press-head, pivoteddogs engaged by said bottom plate and a pallet or platen arranged to belifted by the bottom plate and supported in raised position by the dogs.

8. In an apparatus, substantially as described, a revolving carrier, aseries of moldboxes thereon, core-blocks for each of said boxes andmeans supported adjacent to the boxes for operating their respectivecoreblocks, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination in an apparatus, substantially as described of theupper and lower pressing devices, the press-boxes having a movablebottom plate arranged for operation by the lower pressing devices, apallet or platen arranged to be lifted by the bottom plate, and dogsarranged for engagement by said bottom plate and adapted to support thepallet or platen in raised position, substantially as set forth.

10., The combination in an apparatus substantially as described, of amain frame having a base portion and an upright thereon, a strut-barextending between the base and upright and provided with loops formingguides for the carrier-bars of the pressheads, loops on the base inalinement with those on the strut-bar, the press-heads having theircarrier-bars movable in the alined loops, means for operating saidpress-heads reciprocally, the moldboxes and a movable carrier for same,substantially as set forth.

JOHN ARTHUR BLAKE. JAY KENRICH. WVitnesses:

PETER G. PHILLIPS, EDWIN J. DIBELL.

